OBITUARY.

Shannon News, 28 March 1924, Page 2

OBITUARY.

PASSING OF AN OLD SETTLER

The death occurred last night at the residence, of his son, Mr J. P. Smith Winchester street, Levin, of a very old resident of this district in the person of Mr John Albion Smith, ol Moutoa,

The deceased gentleman was born m Cailaghton, Shropshire, England, in 19-24 and went to Australia m ISaa, engaging'in gold digging'at- Goulburn with some success "tor the following 12 months. On the discovery of gold in New Zealand he came across to this country, landing at Wellington m 1856 and for the next two years was engaged in alluvial mining on the Chitlin, Otago, and in Nelson. In iBoB 1 ho took up iaiid at Moutoa, where the first settlement on this coast was then commencing and during the following thirty years went through all the hardships and difficulties inseparably associated with the early pioneering days, and including absence of roads, severanceTrom civilisation, and alarms from the then numerous and warlike Maoris. Mr Smith was in the Moutoa during the whole of the Maori war days and in the 60’s when the fighting was in progress in Taranaki arid h was feared that, the conflagration would spread to the Manawatu, lie assisted in transferring the families of the other settlers of the Moutoa, to Fox-ton, where a redoubt was built. He himself remained on his farm, during the whole oi the period. Among die many other hardships of the Hie in those early days was the entire absence, of roads and Mr Smith in the days before the first track was cut over the hills to Wellington, on numerous occasions walked the distance, over the old Maori track. He naturally had seen the whole of the settlement oi the district and remembered .when Palmerston North was a manuka fiat with a lew huts scattered on it, and. much later when there was one whale in Levin situated a lew chains below the gravel-pit at the Weraroa Settlement.

Deceased was a. staunch Catholic and a very generous supporter of his church, hieing probably best known for Hi is donation of the sites far the Catholic Church, school and convent at Foxton, all of which were built mainly through his 'exertions' arid fintmeiar assistance. A man of the highest integrity, he was deservedly popular with all who knew him. He leaves a family of three sons and three daughters, Mrs W. Matheson (Rongotea), Mrs N. Martin (Wairoa, H. 8.), Mrs Jacobson (Foxton), and Messrs W. H. Smith (Moutoa), J. A. Smith, (Martinborough) and J. P. Smith (Levin), to all of whom the sympathy of a large circle of friends will be extended in their sad loss. . The funeral will leave the Catholic Church, Foxton, at 2.30 p.m.,* Sunday 30th Inst,